Package-wrapping machine



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

' I. M. ODONEL.

Package-Wrapping Machine. No. 231,444. Patented Aug. 24,1880.

N-FEmS, PHOTG-LITMDGRWHER, WASHINGTON. DC.

(No Model.) SSheetS-Sheet 2. I. M. ODONEL. Package-Wrapping Machine.

No. 231,444. Patented Aug. 24,1880.

N. PETERS.

Wmkmesses.

(No Model.) 3 sheets-sheets. I. M. ODONEL. Package-Wrapping Machine.

Patented Aug. 24,1880.

N4 FEVERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGYON. D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICEo IRWIN M. ODONEL, OF PITTSBURG,PENNSYLVANIA.

VPACKACaiE-WRAPPING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 231,444, dated August24, 1880.

Application led June 28, 1880.

1o all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IRWIN M. ODONEL, of Pittsburg, in the county ofAllegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Package-Wrapping Machilies; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebein ghad to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of thisspecification, in which- Figure l is a vertical longitudinal section.Fig. 2 is a vertical end elevation, partly in section. Fig. 3 is a planview, partly in section. Fig. 4 is a perspective view, illustrating theposition of the plunger and folding-blades. Fig. 5 is a perspectiveview, and Fig. 6 a side view, of the griping devices. Figs. 7 to13 areviews illustrating the various steps of the folding operation, and Fig.14 is a detached view of the spring side and end pieces.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in each.

My invention consists of an improved machine for paperin g soap andsimilar articles, and its main features are a sliding griper for seizingand drawing a sheet of paper into position to receive the soap, atraveling carrier or band for carrying the cakes or bars of soap intoposition upon the sheet of paper, a plunger for forcing the soap downinto a recess upon the paper and causing the paper to be folded up alongtwo sides, a pair of reciprocating and overlapping top-folding bladesfor closing the paper over the top of the cake of soap, a pair ofreciprocating vertically moving foldingblades for closing the paperaround the upper end corners of the piece of soap, two pairs ofoverlapping reciprocating folding-blades for closing the edges of thepaper around the ends of the soap, and springend pieces in thefolding-cavity, which, when the piece of soap is pushed down by theaction of the plunger, causes the final fold of the ends of the pap-erto be made. rIhese various parts are all operated from one power-shaftby means of a system of cams, connecting-links, and levers, the linksbeing held in contact with the cams and retracted by means of springsmounted upon them.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willnow proceed to (No model.)

describe its construction and mode of operation.

The frame of the machine is shown at 1. It has two uprights, 2 2, whichsustain, in suitable bearings, 3, a powerfshaft, 4, upon which aremounted the various cams which communicate the movement to the parts.Power is applied to this shaft in any desirable way.

The cams 5 to 9, which operate the various parts, are made of therequired form to effect the projection of the plunger and thefoldingblades in the proper manner. Below each cam, and operating inconnection therewith, is a link or rod, numbered, respectively, from 10to 14, and upon each rod is a spiral spring, which springs, bearingagainst the cross-pieces 15 and 16, and being fastened to the rods uponwhich they are mounted, cause the rods to bear against the cams andeffect the retraction of the parts.

Upon the bed 1 is a traveling band or carrier, 17, which carries thebars or pieces of soap forward under the plunger 18. This band isoperated by means of rollers 19, to which power is applied in anydesired way. The bed l is slotted directly below the plunger 18, to formthe mouth of a tunnel or folding-cavity, 20, provided with spring sides21, and said spring sides are of such a length and suoli a distanceapart as to receive and hold the pieces of soap when forced down betweenthem by the plunger. At the lower end of the cavity 20 are spring endpieces, 22, of similar construction to the spring sides 21, except thatthey are narrower and shorter, and the purpose of these spring endpieces, 22, is to bear upon the ends of the piece of soap when it isforced down between them t0 ei't'ect the final fold of the paper.

In ldie bed l are a pair of flat reciprocating folding-blades, 23 23',of which 23 is operated by means of the cams 7, rods l2, and levers 3232, and 23 by the cams S, rods 13, and levers 26 27, and which have analternate movement across the soap-folding cavity 20. One of thesefolding-blades, 23', is slotted at 28 for the passage of the verticalend-folding blades 29 29.

The plunger 18 is mounted upon a rod, 10, and operated by the cam 5. Ithas a vertical reciprocating motion, and its purpose is to IOO push thepiece of soap down upon the paper into the soap-folding cavity. Arrangedat the end of the plungers are two vertical endfolding blades, 29, whichare operated by rods 11 and cams (i. The top-folding blades 23 and 23are each mounted on a cross-bar, 30, and attached to the same bars, butlower down in the frame of the machine, so as to be below the first cakeof soap; aml opposite the end of the second cake are two pairs ofcndfolding blades, 31, one pair being on each side. Thesefolding-blades, being` mounted upon the same cross-bars which operatethe top-folding blades, have the same movement and operate alternately,so that in crossing the pieces of soap they shall not come in contactwith cach other.

The spring end pieces, 22, ofthe tblding-cavity are opposite to theposition which will be occupied by the third cake of soapthat is, adistance from thc top of the bed-plate equal to the thickness of twocakes of soap.

Just under the soap-feeding side ofthe bed is a reciprocating griperdevice operated b v the cams 9, rods 14, levers 271 25, and crossA bar33, it being mounted upon the said crossbar. The purpose of thisreciprocating griper device is to grasp the piece of paper as it is fedto the machine and draw it under the plunger. The griper consists of aframe composed of the bar 33, two side bars, 34, which slide on thecross-head 35, below the bed 1 and between the uprights.

0n the side bars, 34, aml closing down upon them, are twospring-gripers, 36, and under each griper is a cam, 3T, the two camsbeing connected and operated by a transverse rod, 38. At the middleofthe rod 3S, and projecting from its under side, is a spur or pin, 39,attached to which is a stem, 40,1nnning back centrally of thegripcr-frame between projections 41 on the cross-head 35. The stem 4t)is provided with a laterally-proiecting pin, 42, back of the projections41.

In the cross-head 35, under the stem A10, is an adjustable stop, 43, forengaging the pin 39, and thereby tripping the cam-rod its'.

The operation of the griper device is as follows: When the frame isdrawn back, after grasping a sheet of paper, the pin 39 strikes theadjustable stop 43 at the proper moment to release the sheet and leaveit resting over the folding-cavity 20 and under the plunger. This causesthe rod 3S to turn, and thereby throws the cams 3i over, raising thegripers 36 and releasing the sheet. The gripers remain open during thebackward and forward motions of the frame until it comes to the pointwhere the sheet of paper is fed to it. At that moment the pin 42encounters the projections 41, which causes the rod 3S and cams 37 to beturned and release the gripers, which come down upon and grasp the sheetagainst the side bars, 34. The tripping-stop 43 is adjusted to therequired position by the screw 44.

The operation of my machine is as follows:

The sheet of paper being fed to the gripers is caught b v them and drawnacross the soapfolding cavity, and a cake or bar of soap is fed forwardou the traveling band 17 and deposited on the piece of paper undertheplunger, as shown at Fig. 7. The plunger then descends and forces thesoap down between the spring sides 21, and leaves it with its uppersurface about the level of the underside of' the top-foldin glblades 2323. This operation causes the paper to fold around the bottom and upalong two sides of a cake of soap, as illustrated in Fig. 8 ofthedrawings. The top'folding blade J3 then comes forward and folds one sideof the paper over the top of the cake, and it being retracted the secondtop-folding blade 23 advances and folds the other end ot' the paper,overlapping it on the lirst fold. The condition ofthe piece of soapafter this operation is shown by Fig.9ot' the drawings. The verticalend-folding blades 29 are then projected downward, passing through theslots or by thc sides of the top-folding'blade which made the iinal topfold, and folds the paper down around the upper end corners of the soap.The condition ot' the piece of soap after this operation is illustratedby Fig. 10 of' the drawings. By this time the operation of the machinehas caused a second sheet of paper to be drawn forward under the plungerand a second piece of soap to be deposited thereon. The plunger thendescends and forces this second piece of soap down into the soap-foldingcavity, uml thereby pushes the first piece down to the second place insaid cavity. The position of the soap and paper after this operation isshown by Fig. 11 of the drawings. This operation brings the first pieceof soap opposite the end side-folding blades, 31, which being projectedforward alternately from opposite sides fold the ends of the paperlaterally in around the ends of the piece. The condition of the piece ofsoap after this operation is illustrated by Fig. 12 of the drawings. Bythis time the third piece of soap is fed to the machine, and beingpushed down by the plunger causes the first piece to be pushed downbetween the spring end pieces, 22, and this movement causes theremaining end fold to be made and turns up the corners of the paperagainst the ends of the piece of soap. This completes the folding, andthe condition of the piece is shown by Fig. 13 ot the drawings.

The continued feeding ofthe machine finally causes the first piece ofsoap to be discharged from the bottom ot the soap-folding cavity. Thespring sides and end pieces bearing against the pieces of soap as theyare forced downward hold them in position.

It isapparent that my machine is equally adapted to the papering ofother square articles beside soap, such as confections, compressedyeast, plug-tobacco, &c.

The same machine may be employed with articles of various sizes bymaking the spring side and end pieces adjustable. The side IOO IIO

IZO

pieces being of T shape, as shown in Fig. 14, and t e end pieces 22 being below their long portions 2l', they may be adjusted inward withoutencountering the ends of the side pieces, as shown in Fig. 14.

The laterally-moving end-folding blades 31, being mounted on the samecrossbars 30, with the top-foldin g blade on that side of the machine,the end folds of the second cake will be made in the same order as thetop folds are, and thus the laterally-moving end-folding blades will beprevented from getting under and raising the fold on the opposite side.

The advantages f my machine consist in its rapid, efficient, andlabor-sayin g operation, it accomplishing with much greater rapidity Aand perfection work that has heretofore been done successfully only byhand.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a machine for applying wrappers to packages, thecombination of aplunger, two spring side pieces arranged parallel to the path of theplunger, and adapted to receive the wrapper and package when forced downby the plunger, and reciprocating foldingblades arranged to operatealternately across the path of the plunger to give the first or top foldto the wrapper, substantially as specified.

2. In a machine for applying wrappers to packages, the combination of aplunger, two yielding side pieces for receiving the wrapper and packagewhen forced down by the plunger, folding-blades arranged to Work overthe side pieces and across the 'path of the plunger to give the topfold, and vertically-reciprocatin g blades arranged at the en ds of thepackage and adapted to give thc first end folds of the wrapper,substantially as specified.

3. In a machine for applying wrappers to packages, the combination of aplunger, two yielding side pieces for receiving the wrapper and packagewhen forced down by the plunger, folding-blades arranged to work acrossthe path of the plunger and over the side pieces to give the top fold,two vertically-reciprocatin g blades arranged to work across the ends ofthe package and produce the first end folds, and folding-blades arrangedto work laterally and alternatelyacross the ends of the package andproduce the edge folds of the wrapper, substantially as specified.

4. In a machine for applying wrappers to packages, the combination of avertically-moving plunger, side pieces, between which the package isforced by the plunger, reciprocating folding-blades operating fromopposite sides and across the path of the plunger to make the top fold,vertically-moving end-folding blades for making the first end folds,reciprocatin g folding-blades operating laterallyT and alternately fromopposite sides of the machine for making the edge folds, and spring endpieces arranged below the folding-blades for making the final end folds,substantially as specified.

5. In a machine for applying wrappers to packages, the-combination oftheplunger and the spring end pieces, arranged below the folding-blades,and forming the lower end of the folding-cavity, substantially as andfor the purpose specified.

6. In a machine for applying wrappers to packages, the combination of'adjustable T- shaped sides and adjustable ends workin g into therecessed sides, said parts forming a folding-cavity, substantially asand for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

IRWIN M. ODONEL.

Witnesses:

T. B. KERR, JNO. K. SMITH.

